Saratoga Picks | Fourstardave Handicap 2024 [Breeders’ Cup Mile]

Aaron previews the 2024 Fourstardave Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course & gives his top win pick from this “Win & You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Who stands the best chance to win after the defending Breeders’ Cup Mile champion Master of The Seas will scratch due to a foot bruise?

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The press release:

Reigning Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile champion and Eclipse Award finalist Master of The Seas makes his long-anticipated Empire State debut in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 FanDuel Fourstardave, at Saratoga Race Course. The one-mile inner turf handicap for 3-year-olds and up offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Del Mar.

The Fourstardave is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 12-race card, while the Saratoga Derby Invitational will go as Race 6. A lucrative program also features the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special in Race 8, the re-scheduled Grade 2, $300,000 Troy in Race 9 and the Listed $150,000 Galway in Race 12. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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Stabled at Saratoga’s Godolphin-owned Greentree since late spring, the dyed-in-the-wool miler is a 6-year-old gelded son of Irish 2000 Guineas winner Dubawi and French 1000 Guineas runner-up Firth of Lorne. He has made his last four starts in North America at the distance, including one-sided wins in September’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and April’s Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland – the latter his lone start this year.

Training forwardly toward his relaunch to the second-half of the season, the Charlie Appleby pupil has slowly tightened the screws in the mornings, including a four-furlong breeze in 48 flat – ranked fourth of 75 moves – on July 26 over the Oklahoma training turf. The eight-time graded/group stakes winner and earner in excess of $2.5 million seeks to add to what has already been a prolific career when Flavien Prat rides from post 2 carrying a field-high 126 pounds. 

“We’re very happy with him and he’s a horse who goes very well fresh,” said Chris Connett, assistant to Appleby. “Ever since he won the Maker’s Mark down at Keeneland, this was always the idea to come to the Fourstardave with a fresh horse. He’s been working nicely over the Oklahoma track. He’s just a lovely horse to be around who keeps it pretty simple for us.” 

The Godolphin team will also send the in-form Ottoman Fleet to post, fresh off a pair of Churchill Downs 1 1/16-mile stakes wins in June – the Grade 3 Arlington and Grade 2 Wise Dan. An easy winner of those runs, the $574,516 Tattersalls October 2020 purchase returns to top-level company for the first time since a runner-up effort to subsequent 2024 Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan winner Measured Time in Meydan’s Jebel Hatta in January, while dropping back in distance to one mile for the first time in his career.

A winner of five graded/group stakes, including Belmont’s Grade 2 Fort Marcy last year, the millionaire makes his 20th start, this time with Hall of Famer Joel Rosario in the saddle from post 6 assigned 123 pounds. 

“He’s a horse the team has always liked, who’s been pretty consistent in Dubai and Europe,” Connett continued. “This year, he’s put together a pair of very nice wins cutting slowly back in trip. Last time, Flavien got off him and said, ‘I think he’s getting quicker,’ which is a nice thing to have going into a big race like this. We have one horse at proven Group 1 level and another in really good form who deserves a chance.” 

One of the few New York turf Grade 1s to elude Chad Brown is the Fourstardave, but that could change on Saturday, especially with e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ Carl Spackler [post 4, Tyler Gaffalione, 122 pounds] carrying the flag.

A son of dual French classic winner Lope de Vega, the 4-year-old colt is 4-for-5 at one mile and 3-for-4 at Saratoga, including the course-and-distance Grade 3 Kelso on July 13. The emblazoned chestnut finished up his prep work with a best-of-6 five-furlong breeze in 1:01.55 on August 2.

“He breezed good,” Brown said. “It was a little maintenance work and I was real pleased with it. It would be nice to secure him a Grade 1. When he’s on his game, he’s a top-level horse and he seems to be rounding right back into form. He’s a very solid horse and I do think he’s got another forward move in him at some point. I hope that’s in this race.” 

Victory Racing Partners’ Cherie DeVaux-trained Grade 3 winner More Than Looks [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 120 pounds] makes his first start of the season in the Fourstardave, one week after being scratched from the rained-off Listed Fasig-Tipton Lure on August 3 at The Spa. A respectable sixth in Master of The Sea’s Breeders’ Cup Mile, he rallied impressively to pass seven horses in the stretch and lose by two lengths.

“It is not an ideal ‘Plan B’ to come off such a long layoff into this spot,” DeVaux said. “Ultimately, I think he obviously belongs with these horses, but it’s a tough spot to return to the races. I wouldn’t be opposed to running if the turf had a bit of give in it. We were going to run yesterday if it had stayed on the turf. 

“The goal is definitely to run him back in the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” DeVaux continued. “He ran exceptionally well in that race last year, but just couldn’t get in a position to make his run. He came home in 22 and change after being last basically the whole race until the top of the stretch. He does belong with these horses, but he is coming back from a pretty significant tendon injury, so we are just hoping we can have him about 80-85 percent ready for this run.”

Striking while the proverbial iron is hot, Spendthrift Farm’s Major Dude [post 3, John Velazquez, 120 pounds], trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, was an eye-catching winner in nine-furlong optional-claiming company at The Spa on July 20, quickly spurting clear in mid-stretch to win by two lengths. A triple graded stakes winner over as many tracks, including Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Pilgrim in 2022, he cuts back to the same distance over which he won the Grade 2 Penn Mile in 2023.

Gary Barber and Kinsman Stable’s dual Listed stakes winner Strong Quality [post 1, Dylan Davis, 119 pounds] has failed to hit the board in three Grade 1 tries and enters off a seventh in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan, but has finished fifth or better in all other stakes attempts. He represents connections who must be respected, including three-time Fourstardave-winning Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

“He loves it up here,” Casse assistant Shane Tripp said. “He’s put on some weight and I’m looking forward to leading him over. With his speed, I’m looking forward to running him a mile around those two turns. He’s such an honest horse. He shows up every time.” 

Jordan V Wycoff’s Money Supply [post 5, Manny Franco, 119 pounds] seeks his fourth victory of the season when he goes to post for trainer Joe Sharp.

Winner of last month’s Listed Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial at Horseshoe Indianapolis, the son of Practical Joke steps up significantly in class in what will be his second start on turf. A Saratoga winner last year on dirt for former trainer Chad Brown, he was claimed out of that run for current connections and proceeded to win five straight races, as well as six of his past eight.